Light of the Future
by llirium
Summary: A short mangabased story about Hotaru and a mysterious young girl with strange powers.


A slight breeze brushed her face gently like silk. More out of habit than necessity, she  
pushed back a lock of her black hair behind her ear. The air was still moist from the  
rain the night before, the sun shone through the remaining puffs of cloud.  
  
Seeing no one around, on impulse she hopped into the nearest puddle and splashed a  
little. What did it matter about her sneakers? They were black anyway... like her tiny old  
rain boots.  
  
Haruka-pa -- Haruka and Michiru had been with her. After a night of being terrified by  
thunder, they had promised her a day at the park. There was little rain, and the sun  
was winning the battle for ruling the skies... Had it really been two years ago?  
  
Time... there was very little of it left for her... it seemed.  
  
Adding up most of what King Endymion had said to the inner senshi, Usagi-chan  
ascended the throne and gave birth to Small Lady a year from now at twenty-two.   
During Chibiusa's time in her own past, she must not have even seen Uranus, Neptune  
or Sailor Saturn; otherwise she would have knowledge of what was to come.   
Apparently, Uranus and Neptune did exist, but what of herself?  
  
There were four reasonable possibilities:  
  
1) She had died in the events leading up to the creation of Crystal Tokyo or otherwise  
2) She had left Earth to continue her duty elsewhere  
3) She had become only Tomoe Hotaru and could not transform  
4) Tomoe Hotaru, and therefore Sailor Saturn, did not exist in that future  
  
The last thought gave her chill in her heart. What was it that Pluto had said about time  
going amiss? For all she knew, it could mean that they had warped the existence of the  
world, of the galaxy, and it was not as it should be. Perhaps it had begun even before  
Queen Serenity had reincarnated them in the future.  
  
Her head jerked at the sound of thunder. But... there were no vibrations at all. Hotaru  
looked past the green of the park and saw a beam of distorted light shooting up into the  
clouds. She carefully examined the water-rippling effect of the light, and the colour of  
the beam was like nothing she'd ever seen.  
  
Nevertheless, Hotaru opened her communicator watch. "Haruka!"  
  
A small picture of the woman appeared on the screen. "What is it?"  
  
"Meet me in Ichinohashi Park, there may be someone from the future here." She replied  
calmly.  
  
"We'll be there."  
  
Hotaru closed her watch and opened her hand. "Saturn Crystal Power, Make Up!"  
  
After the instant she transformed, Saturn ran towards the still-glowing light coming from  
the middle of a small grove. It was just past the intersection in the middle of the park.  
  
Once she had gotten close enough, Saturn approached warily, her Silence Glaive  
appearing in her hand. What she saw was what she least expected.  
  
There lay a girl of about eight years in her pajamas, unconscious. Her pale hair fell  
midway down her back, her small body huddled on the grass. It was terrifying...  
because Saturn saw a part of herself in that girl...  
  
Not letting the insight cloud her judgement, Saturn carefully nudged the child. In less  
than a second, the child had awakened and was breathing hard, as if waking from a  
nightmare.  
  
"Whoa, it's ok. I won't hurt you..." Saturn backed off, almost more surprised than the  
child was.  
  
The greenish-haired girl nodded, still slightly shocked.  
  
Saturn took the time to examine her energy, pointing ever so slightly at the girl.   
Feelings of fledging light and naivete radiated from the girl quietly, the powers still too  
young to have known what they were.  
  
"Could you tell me who you are?"  
  
The girl answered softly, her voice shaking a bit. "My name is Toriko."  
  
"Where did you come from? Only sailor senshi know of the time gate."  
  
"A... time gate?" Feeling confused, a light of realization crossed her small blue eyes.  
"...I've had another nightmare, haven't I? You won't tell my mama, will you?"  
  
Toriko seemed on the verge of tears, frightened beyond clear thought. But instead of  
crying, she waited patiently for Saturn to speak.  
  
The senshi put her glaive aside and offered a hand to the girl. Toriko looked up and  
took it, and stood bravely at her waist level.  
  
"Saturn!" She heard Neptune's voice, and turned to see Uranus and Pluto at her side.   
A moment later, she saw the rest of the senshi behind her, releasing their hands from  
the circle used in the Sailor Teleport.  
  
"Toriko-chan, please stay there, I need to talk to my friends."  
  
Toriko looked expectantly at Saturn, still a little afraid. "Hai."  
  
She and the other outer senshi walked into the circle, each of them expecting her  
report.  
  
"There's nothing wrong, I believe she's been teleported here through some other  
means." The inners seemed shocked at this, knowing that it would at least take three of  
their number to gather that much energy.  
  
"How can you be sure?" Mars said suspiciously.  
  
"I'm certain." Her tone of voice offered no argument.  
  
"I see." Pluto said. Her eyes shifted to the girl, nothing revealling her slight  
foreknowledge of what was to come. This is the beginning of our future... she thought  
nervously.  
  
Saturn, on the other hand, was watching the reactions of the other senshi. Mars looked  
deathly calm, what she often used as a ruse against potential enemies. Jupiter and  
Uranus seemed uncomfortable at finding the child not to be dangerous, wanting  
something more tangible to prove her claim. Neptune watched over Venus, who in turn,  
watched Sailor Moon comfort Toriko.  
  
"Who...?" Toriko asked of the girl with the blonde odango.  
  
"We're the Sailor Senshi, Toriko-chan. The protectors of this Earth and its people."  
  
Toriko blinked, suddenly stunned by the words.  
  
Mercury, as expected, was scanning the area with her small data processing unit. "I've  
scanned the area for energy sources." she finally spoke. Toriko, her fear subsiding with  
Sailor Moon's kind words, listened to their conversation.  
  
"Nothing out of the ordinary?" Jupiter asked.  
  
"Nothing of a dark nature, if that's what you mean. I only read our own energy  
patterns... and a fainter reading from the child." Mercury typed out further calculations,  
double-checking.  
  
"Right." Pluto acknowledged.  
  
"I sense nothing." Mars affirmed.  
  
"It feels safe here." Neptune replied in kind.  
  
Toriko glanced on every side of her, feeling more than seeing their words. A wave of  
lonelieness spread over her. "I- I want to go home..."  
  
Just then, Mercury stepped up to her, her calculations forgotten. Toriko turned her  
head down in fear at her approach. Mercury just laughed a little.  
  
"Sorry, Toriko-chan. You can go home now."  
  
Toriko's eyes lit up at the idea. "Yeah!"  
  
Saturn smiled. "Do you want me to take you home?"  
  
Toriko tried to look unhappy, but smiled instead. "Ok, but I know my way home..."  
  
Uranus looked at the two as they walked out of the park. Could Mercury be wrong?   
This girl could be like Galaxia, waiting for them to become complacent and lost before  
she would strike. Neptune was gazing into her mirror, smiling.  
  
"Neptune?" the other blinked in surprise and then showed the mirror to Uranus.  
  
It was a picture of six-year-old Hotaru, playing on the swings.  
  
Toriko was in the swing beside her.  
  
  
* * * *  
  
Saturn and the child walked while holding hands along the empty streets, it being as  
late as it was. Toriko was silent for a time, very shy, like Hotaru herself had once been.  
  
"You said that you had a nightmare; do you always end up somewhere else when that  
happens?"  
  
Toriko laughed. "No. Maybe in mama's bed, or someplace else in my house. They  
said I was sleepwalking and got out of bed when I was asleep." Toriko paused, then  
spoke softly.  
  
"Mama told me not to tell, but you know already. Mama saw me on the balcony too.   
Mama said that there was no way it could happen, the door was still locked. I don't  
know where the key is... that's when she found out."  
  
Saturn had to admire her courage. Suddenly appearing in the middle of nowhere when  
you sleep was as bad, if not worse than a nightmare. Her best guess was that she had  
psychic powers, and that she was still too young to know it. Most everyone on Earth  
wished ESP to become normal someday, but who knew how soon or late it could be.  
  
"What was that in your hand, Saturn-san?" Saturn looked surprised, but wasn't the least  
bit annoyed.  
  
"That was my weapon, it's called the Silence Glaive. It's very dangerous." Saturn had a  
sad look that passed her face for a fraction of a second, then it quickly disappeared into  
her eyes.  
  
"Oh. Are you like us... or are you like robots-- Oops! I-I didn't mean--"  
  
"It's alright, Toriko-chan. We have forms as regular humans as well, so we can hide  
from enemies if we have to. If everyone knew who we were, then it might be easier for  
enemies to know it as well, and attack us when we aren't transformed. It's a useful  
thing, having another identity." Saturn didn't bother upsetting the child with telling her of  
enemies disguised as humans, or that she herself had once been the host of an evil  
Tau Ceti spirit.  
  
"Oh... I'm glad that you're like us."  
  
Toriko's voice was light with contentment. It was not Saturn, but Hotaru that answered  
the child.  
  
"I am too."  
  
Saturn stopped at the address that Toriko had given her and let go of her hand. Toriko  
was about to go in the house, but then turned back and gave Saturn a big hug. "Thank  
you!"  
  
The child ran up the stairs and stopped to wave again as an afterthought, but all trace  
of Sailor Saturn had disappeared.  
  
"Toriko-chan?!" Toriko's mother was just about to go out the door to search for her, and  
was relieved to see her little girl unharmed.  
  
"Mama!" Toriko ran up the step to her house and engulfed herself in her mother's  
embrace. "I'm sorry, it happened again..."  
  
Her mother just smiled. "Just as long as you're safe, I don't mind."  
  
Saturn smiled as she peeped from behind the corner of the block. Friends in time, both  
adrift, but we all meet at the end... in the light and darkness of the future.  
  
  
THE END  
  
* * * *  
  
Another future story, sort of a curiosity of mine. (and mostly manga-based, for those  
who are somewhat confused) What would happen in the future in Crystal Tokyo?  
Wouldn't the people at least have knowledge of mystical powers with the sailor senshi  
as their guardians? Anyways, I wondered about that, and ESP is an interesting theory.   
Thanks for reading. :) 


End file.
